What Does A Erik Karlsson To The Edmonton Oilers Trade Look Like?

According to Chris Johnston the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks have re-engaged in trade talks involving Erik Karlsson.

Just like the above tweet from Johnston notes the biggest issue in this trade would the salary of Karlsson. Karlsson currently has a cap hit of $11.5 million. This is a number I believe neither team wants to pay. This is why the Sharks are looking to trade him and why the Edmonton Oilers would need the Sharks to retain some of his salary.

The best scenario for both teams would be if a third team were involved and was able to eat some salary as well. I think if that was possible the amount the Sharks would get in return would go down, but the Sharks would at least get most of Karlsson’s $11.5 million off their books.

Teams That Can Eat Salary

According to CapFriendly there are currently 3 teams with more than $10 million in cap space left. The Buffalo Sabres($18.2 million), Arizona Coyotes($17.9 million) and the Anaheim Ducks($13.6 million). Of those teams, both the Coyotes and Ducks are in a more rebuilding state than the Sabres.

The way I see it is Karlsson’s contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season and honestly the way the rosters of the Ducks and Coyotes look right now I don’t think either team is going to be competitive till then. This is why they would be the perfect teams to eat some salary.

Karlsson To The Edmonton Oilers

This is what I think a trade for Karlsson would look like for the Edmonton Oilers. The Edmonton Oilers would be giving up two first-round picks, a second-round pick, Tyson Barrie and Jesse Puljuarvi for Erik Karlsson and Nick Bjustad. If this is similar to the deal on the table and I am Ken Holland I am jumping all over this.

The only issue I see in this deal is perhaps the Coyotes may want to get more for retaining the $4 million of Karlsson’s contract. I think a first and second-round pick along with Jesse Puljujarvi would be enough to do it though. The Coyotes are a team that trying to collect as many picks as possible and this trade does it for them.

From the Sharks’ point of view, they are giving up a 2nd round pick for Tyson Barrie, a first-round and second-round pick while creating $9 million of cap space. That’s a good deal if you ask me. They can use Barrie to fill in the void left by Karlsson in their current lineup.

Changes For The Edmonton Oilers

In this deal, the overall changes for the Edmonton Oilers would be the following

In:

• Erik Karlsson @ $4.3215 Million till 2026-2027
• Nick Bjugstad @ $900,000 Pending UFA

Out:

• 1st Round Pick 2023
• 1st Round Pick 2024
• 2nd Round Pick 2023
• Tyson Barrie
• Jesse Puljujarvi

At first glance, this may look like a lot to give up for one defenceman and a rental player, but once you take a look at what you are getting I think this is a fair deal.

Edmonton Oilers fans have been screaming for Jakob Chychrun this season. To bring him in is likely going to cost you about the same price. Erik Karlsson is a much better player than Chychrun in all aspects of the game. Karlsson is an elite defensman.

Looking back at the past few seasons of Stanely Cup winners they have all had an elite defenseman. Colorado Avalanche had Cale Makar and Tampa Bay have Victor Hedman. If the Edmonton Oilers brought in Karlsson they would have their elite player on the back end.

As for Nick Bjugstad, he would be a solid depth addition to this team. He can play any role you would need him to while playing in the bottom six. The Edmonton Oilers want to go deep in the playoffs and to do that you need good forward depth as injuries always pop up.

Players Going Out For The Oilers

In this trade, the Edmonton Oilers are moving out Tyson Barrie as well as Jesse Puljuarvi. Tyson Barrie is getting moved because his role would be eliminated with the addition of Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is a right-shot defenseman that would run the powerplay. This would also give the Sharks a player to replace Karlsson.

Trading Jesse Puljujarvi would just be a chance for the Edmonton Oilers to move on from the player and give him a fresh start in a new organization where he wouldn’t have so much pressure on him. The Coyotes would like to bring him in a have him make a difference in their lineup.

This trade would be a no-brainer for me from the Edmonton Oilers point of view. I would love to see Karlsson in an Edmonton Oilers jersey the thing is I don’t want to see him as an Oiler at an $11.5 million cap hit. If the Edmonton Oilers can get a couple of teams to retain salary this is a done deal, but I assume that is the main issue in making this deal work.